The Italian word domani (tomorrow in English) comes from the Latin de mane whose rough translation is starting from the morning.
Domani can be paired with different words that denote the time of day:
- domani mattina (or domattina) = tomorrow morning
- domani pomeriggio = tomorrow afternoon
- domani sera = tomorrow evening
- domani notte = tomorrow night
Domani sera vado da un amico per una cena.
Tomorrow evening I’m going to a friend’s house for a dinner.
The expression the day after tomorrow can be conveyed using two terms in Italian: the common and colloquial dopodomani (literally “after tomorrow“) and the literary posdomani. A third expression doman l’altro also exists but it is rarely used these days.
Dopodomani è il compleanno di Sara!
The day after tomorrow is Sara’s birthday!
Two expressions Italians frequently use to close a conversation are Ci vediamo domani! (See you tomorrow!) and A domani! (Until tomorrow!) If you’re interested, you can see our full list of ways to say goodbye in Italian here.
If you find yourself confusing the similar sounding un domani and indomani, you’re not alone! The former means someday whereas the latter translates as the next day or the following day.
Un domani spero di diventare papà.
Someday I hope to become a dad.
Lui non potrà andare da nessuna parte fino all’indomani.
He won’t be able to go anywhere until the following day.
Unlike the word tomorrow, domani can also function as a more poetic way of saying future (futuro) in Italian. In this sense, it is often used as a noun preceded by the definite article il.
Goditi la vita perché il domani è incerto.
Enjoy life because the future is uncertain.
Expressions featuring the word ‘domani’
Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani
Literal meaning: Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow
English translation: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Dall’oggi al domani
Literal meaning: From today to tomorrow
English translation: without warning, quickly, suddenly
Oggi o domani
Literal meaning: today or tomorrow
English translation: sometime or another
Oggi a me, domani a te
Literal meaning: today to me, tomorrow to you
English translation: the misfortunes that happen to us can also happen to those who rejoice in those misfortunes
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
